Initiating operation of a computer system may be called xe2x80x9cbootingxe2x80x9d (or xe2x80x9crebootingxe2x80x9d) the computer system. The computer system is booted in response to an event (xe2x80x9cboot eventxe2x80x9d). Such a boot event may be, for example, a user xe2x80x9cturning onxe2x80x9d the computer system (e.g. the user causing application of electrical power to the computer system by switching an on/off button of the computer system). Alternatively, such a boot event may be receipt by the computer system of a command to initially execute the operating system software. For example, the computer system may receive such a command from the user (e.g. through an input device), or from a computer application executed by the computer system, or from another computer system (e.g. through a network).
In response to a boot event, the computer system initiates execution of software (e.g. operating system software such as Microsoft Windows). The computer system may read the software from a computer-readable medium, such as a hard disk or a floppy diskette. According to a previous technique, the computer system reads the software from (i.e. boots from) either: (a) the floppy diskette if such a diskette is present within the system, as for example if a floppy diskette is physically resident within the computer system""s A: drive; or (b) the hard disk if no floppy diskette is present within the system.
A shortcoming of such a previous technique is that the computer system fails to provide an option to boot from the hard disk in a situation where a floppy diskette is present within the system. Such an option would be helpful in performing mass assembly and test of hundreds, or even thousands, of computer systems within a single day or other brief time period. For example, such an option may help reduce the number of times that a human user physically inserts a floppy diskette into (or removes a floppy diskette from) the computer system""s A: drive during the assembly and test process. As part of a high volume computer assembly or manufacturing operation, such repeated insertion and removal is inefficient.
Accordingly, a need has arisen for a system and method for initiating operation of a computer system, in which various shortcomings of previous techniques are overcome.
One embodiment, accordingly, provides for a computer system that includes first and second computer-readable media. The second computer-readable medium stores information specifying one of the first and second computer-readable media from which the computer system boots. The computer system reads the information from the second computer-readable medium and boots from the specified one of the first and second computer-readable media in response to an event and the information.
A principal advantage of this embodiment is that various shortcomings of previous techniques are overcome, and the computer system provides an option to boot from the hard disk even in a situation where a floppy diskette is present within the system.